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Texas Democratic congressional candidate Bobby Pulido, seen here at a campaign rally in Goliad, Texas, on Sept. 12, is running against Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz in a district President Donald Trump won easily. The House race is competitive, and a case study for election year dynamics.

Podcasts

Gathering threads: The stories defining the midterm elections

Political Theater, Episode 421

By Jason Dick, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted September 24, 2026 at 5:41pm

President Donald Trump speaks to the Republican Midterm Convention at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas on Sept. 9. Depending on how the GOP does in the midterms, such conventions could become a tradition, Roll Call Campaigns Analyst Nathan L. Gonzales says.

Podcasts

What a long, strange primary season it’s been

By Jason Dick and Nathan L. Gonzales
Posted September 18, 2026 at 8:40am
CQ Budget Editor David Lerman, left, and CQ Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick discuss Congress' agenda on a joint CQ Budget/Political Theater podcast.

Podcasts

Congress punts on big issues

By Jason Dick and David Lerman
Posted September 8, 2026 at 9:19am
535 Political Analyst Susan Davis, left, CQ Roll Call Staff Writer Savannah Behrmann, center, and Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick discuss the affordability agenda in Congress.

Podcasts

The Roll Call and 535 deep dive on the affordability agenda

By Jason Dick, Savannah Behrmann and Susan Davis
Posted August 26, 2026 at 12:10pm
535 Political Analyst Susan Davis, left, CQ Roll Call Staff Writer Kelly Livingston, center, and Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick discuss surface transportation reauthorization legislation on the latest Political Theater podcast.

The Roll Call and 535 deep dive on surface transportation reauthorization

By Jason Dick, Susan Davis and Kelly Livingston
Posted August 19, 2026 at 1:23pm
535 Editor in Chief Brody Mullins, left, CQ Roll Call Staff Writer David Jordan, center and Roll Call Editor in Chief Jason Dick discuss permitting reform, part of the Roll Call/535 collaboration for the Political Theater Podcast.

The Roll Call and 535 deep dive on permitting reform

By Jason Dick, Brody Mullins and David Jordan
Posted August 12, 2026 at 10:46am
535 News Editor in Chief Brody Mullins, left, CQ Roll Call Staff Writer Mark Schoeff Jr., center and Political Theater Podcast host Jason Dick discuss cryptocurrency legislation on the Political Theater/535 collaboration pod.

The Roll Call and 535 deep dive on cryptocurrency

By Jason Dick, Brody Mullins and Mark Schoeff Jr.
Posted August 5, 2026 at 11:09am
A representative from the Kurdistan Communities Assembly lays flowers outside the office of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on July 13. Graham leaves a legacy as a foreign policy hawk and involved legislator.

The dog days are here already for Congress

By Jason Dick
Posted July 16, 2026 at 12:48pm
Sean Astin, left, president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, talks about his political and policy roles with Roll Call Editor-in-Chief Jason Dick on the Political Theater podcast.

Sean Astin on being a leader during a time of upheaval

By Jason Dick
Posted July 2, 2026 at 11:20am
A portion of the arena on the South Lawn of the White House for the upcoming UFC match to celebrate country’s 250th anniversary is seen from the North Lawn on May 28, 2026.

No more ‘Idiocracy’ references please; let’s talk about the ads

By Jason Dick and Brandon Wetherbee
Posted June 22, 2026 at 4:15pm